Multiplex Microfluidic Paper-based Immunoassay for the Diagnosis of Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a serious and rising global healthcare problem. One critical challenge to tackle this disease is the lack of adequate diagnosis. Here, we develop a multiplex microfluidic paper-based immunoassay, as a novel diagnostic approach, to detect human IgG antibody against HCV (anti-HCV). The paper substrate, highly flammable nitrocellulose (NC), is patterned under ambient temperature by craft punch patterning (CPP) to generate multiple test zones. On the basis of superior merits of patterned paper, this new diagnostic approach demonstrates the key novelty to unprecedentedly combine segmented diagnostic assays into a single multiplex test. The generated diagnostic results are not only informative but can be rapidly and cost-effectively delivered. It would significantly transform the clinical pathway for unwitting individuals with HCV infection. This work highlights the promising role of microfluidic paper-based immunoassays in tackling the diagnostic challenge for the HCV pandemic as well as other diseases

Table2_Segmentation and lateral growth of intracratonic strike-slip faults in the northern Tarim Basin, NW China: influences on Ordovician fault-controlled carbonate reservoirs.XLSX

Intracratonic strike-slip faults have been recognized as a major factor controlling the formation of fracture-cave carbonate reservoirs in deep buried basins, yet which properties and how the strike-slip faults influence reservoir distribution and their connectivity are still ambiguous. This uncertainty significantly restricts hydrocarbon exploration and development, such as in the Fuman oilfield, northern Tarim Basin, NW China. Using a high-resolution 3D seismic reflection survey and borehole data, we investigated the geometry and kinematic evolution of the FI17 fault zone in the Fuman oilfield. This fault zone is characterized by a single fault zone, pop-up or pull-apart structures, right-stepping en echelon normal faults, and much smaller displacement (I17 fault zone consists of four genetic segments, including the extensional strike-slip duplex, Riedel left-lateral shear, right-stepping horsetail splay, and horizontal slip segments in map view. In particular, the formation of the ∼18 km Riedel shear zone is characterized by the growth and linkage of segmented shear faults (synthetic and secondary synthetic shears). We observed that the large-scale fault-controlled fracture-cave reservoirs are distributed in positions with wider fault zones, which are characterized by overlapping of neighboring secondary shear faults. Furthermore, the reservoir width examined in this study is natural logarithmic correlated (positively) to the fault zone width. The reservoirs linked by the same shear faults show better internal connectivity. The spatial coherence between fault geometry and reservoir features indicates that segmentation and lateral growth of intracratonic strike-slip faults controls the occurrence of fracture-cave reservoirs, which may provide support for reservoir prediction in the Fuman oilfield and other deeply buried fault-controlled carbonate reservoirs in general.</p

Table1_Segmentation and lateral growth of intracratonic strike-slip faults in the northern Tarim Basin, NW China: influences on Ordovician fault-controlled carbonate reservoirs.XLSX

Intracratonic strike-slip faults have been recognized as a major factor controlling the formation of fracture-cave carbonate reservoirs in deep buried basins, yet which properties and how the strike-slip faults influence reservoir distribution and their connectivity are still ambiguous. This uncertainty significantly restricts hydrocarbon exploration and development, such as in the Fuman oilfield, northern Tarim Basin, NW China. Using a high-resolution 3D seismic reflection survey and borehole data, we investigated the geometry and kinematic evolution of the FI17 fault zone in the Fuman oilfield. This fault zone is characterized by a single fault zone, pop-up or pull-apart structures, right-stepping en echelon normal faults, and much smaller displacement (I17 fault zone consists of four genetic segments, including the extensional strike-slip duplex, Riedel left-lateral shear, right-stepping horsetail splay, and horizontal slip segments in map view. In particular, the formation of the ∼18 km Riedel shear zone is characterized by the growth and linkage of segmented shear faults (synthetic and secondary synthetic shears). We observed that the large-scale fault-controlled fracture-cave reservoirs are distributed in positions with wider fault zones, which are characterized by overlapping of neighboring secondary shear faults. Furthermore, the reservoir width examined in this study is natural logarithmic correlated (positively) to the fault zone width. The reservoirs linked by the same shear faults show better internal connectivity. The spatial coherence between fault geometry and reservoir features indicates that segmentation and lateral growth of intracratonic strike-slip faults controls the occurrence of fracture-cave reservoirs, which may provide support for reservoir prediction in the Fuman oilfield and other deeply buried fault-controlled carbonate reservoirs in general.</p